Cleansing utensil



J. H. THOMAS CLEANSING UTENSIL Filed Aug. l2, 1922 Patented Jan. 1, 1924.

airain STATES' PATENTfoF-i* CLEANSING UTENSL.

Application ledi August 12, 1922. Serial No. 581,370.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l", JOHN- HAROLD THOMAS, a citizen of the United States', residingat Orange, county of Essex, State of N ew Jersey, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Cleansing Utensils, of which the following is a specification.

rThis invention relates to cleansing uten sils. 1

More particularly, this invention relates to cleansing utensils of the type for use manually for cleansing knives, forks and like flat work.

More particularly, the invention is directed toa container arranged to be manually grasped by the operator and constructed to be charged with cleansing powder or other substance, a scouring block carried at one end of the casing constructed to directly engage the work to be cleansed, such scouring block being provided with an opening extending to the scouring face of the block and a regulatable mechanism for regulating the amount of cleansing material delivered from the casing to the effective surface of the scouring block.

Further features and objects of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detail description and the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a preferred form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the casing;

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the regulating valve stem, partly broken away;

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the cover of the casing; I

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the movable plate of the regulating valve; and

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the scouring block.

Referring to the drawings, the cleansing utensil comprises the casing 10, usually of circular formation and arranged to be manually grasped by the operator. At the lower end of the casing 10, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the scouring block 11 is secured, which scouring block is preferably of cork or like semi-rigid and semi-water absorbing material. The effective surface 12 of the scouring block 11 is usually flat for use with flat work such as knives, forks, handles of As one form of regulatingthe amount of cleansing powder' delivered through the discharge opening 13, I have provided the opening 14 in the bottom 15 of the casing 10,

see Figs. 2 and 3, which opening 14 registers with the discharge opening 13 of the scouring block 11. Disposed above the casing bottom 15, is arranged the valve plate 16, see Figs. 2 and 6, having the opening 17, which upon registry with the opening 14 of the casing bottom 15 permits the cleansing powder to discharge into the delivery opening 13 of the scouring block 11.

The valve plate 16 is controlled by means of the valve stem 18, see Figs. 2 and 4, extending through the opening 19 in the cover 2O of the casing 10 and provided with a manipulating piece 21. Adjacent the lower end, 22,V see Fig. 4, of the valve stem 18 is preferably square or may be of other polygonal outline making a snug t in the recess 23 of similar outline, disposed in the valve plate 16. The extreme lower end portion 24,

' see Fig. 4 of the valve stem 18, is circular and is centered in the circular' opening 25, see Fig. 3, of the bottom 15 of the casing 10. Suitable stops are arranged for limiting the delivery stroke and the reversed closing stroke of the valve stem 18, which may comprise the lug 26, see Figs. 2 and 4, extending laterally of the valve stem 18, the stop pin 27' extending interiorly below the cover 20 of the casing 10 and a stop similar to the limiting stop 27, for limiting the return stroke of the valve stem 18.

The finger piece 21 is preferably aligned parallelly with the lug 26 and the indications closed and open may be applied at the appropriate locations on the cover 2O to visually indicate the positions of closing and opening respectively of the valve regulating means;

The scouring block 11, see Figs. 2 and 7, may be circularly recessed, as indicated at 30, at its top, to snugly fit about thelower bottom portion of the side of the casing 10, thereby also locating the casing bottom 15 in close engagement with the fiat surface 31 of the circular recess 30 of the scouring block ll, and the block l1 is tirinlyy secured to and about the casing l0 by the retaining strap 32, seeFigs. l and 27 adjustably locked by means of its bent end portion 33 passing throughtlie opening 34 in the opposite end of the locking strap 32.

I claim.

l. The combination or" a casing for containing cleansing material, a valve for said casing, a scouring block, means for securing said scouring block to one side of said casing, said scouring blockbeing provided Wit-h a discharge passage controlled by said valve, said valve comprising a plate having an opening arranged to bebrought into register with said discharge passage when thevalve is in discharging position and manipulating member for said valve extending exteriorly of said casing on a side thereof opposite said one side.

2. The combination ofa casing for containing scouring material, said casing having a discharge opening7 a scouring block of corlr having a discharge passage communieating with said discharge opening, means for securing said scouring block to said casing, a valve in said casing comprising a plate having an. opening arranged to be brought 'in to register With said discharge opening when the valve is in discharging position, a finger piece for said valve extending eX- teriorly of said casing and co-acting stop lugs for limiting the throw of said valve, said linger piece being positioned in alignment with one of said stop lugs.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification this 27th day of July 1922.

v J. HAROLD THUMAS. 

